Device for extracting oil from oil bearing shale



J. H. MEDLEN 7 3,448,794

' June 10, 1969 D EVICEFOR EXTRACTING OIL FROM OIL BEARING SHALE Filed Dec. '7. 1967 INVENTOR. Jam/H 4/504 av United States Patent US. Cl. 165-45 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for extracting oil from oil bearing shale having a four-inch diameter iron or stainless steel pipe perforated with a series of one and one-half inch holes to allow gaseous vapor from the super heated shale to escape down the pipe for cooling and condensation, the cooling pipe consisting of aluminum tubing of three to five feet in length with coils of copper tubing around it."A cooling agent of Water or alcohol may be pumped through the copper tubing. Gaseous oil vapor condenses in the cooling unit into oil at 40-50 F. and is collected in a storage tank or oil barrel, as desired. Pumping of gaseous vapors through the perforated tube into the aluminum tube is not necessary, the heavier than air gas being found to flow through the tube by natural gravitational forces.

The present invention relates to a device and ,apparatus for extracting oil from oil bearing shale in which a perforated pipe or tubing is attached to the end of a cooling pipe or tubing of'the desired length and diameter, the perforated pipe or tubing having a heating unit on the inside and, when the heating to the proper temperature is obtained, will cause gaseous vapors to escape through the perforated holes into the pipe to the cooling unit. The cooling unit causes the vapors to condensate into liquid form and they are collected in barrels or in storage tanks.

A further feature and advantage of the invention is that the device and apparatus is intended to be placed through a drilled hole of a size common to the size of the pipes, into solid shale beds, and may be placed as close together as desired to extract the most oil.

A further advantage of the invention is that there are no moving parts, and the device results in the extraction of oil more economically and simpler than the heavy expensive moving methods and apparatus of the prior art.

It is an object and concept of the invention that if one pipe will extract one barrel of oil per day, a hundred or a thousand pipes will extract one hundred or one thousand barrels of oil per day, so that the oil is collected in a barrel or storage tank, as desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heating unit of the electrical type for causing the development and processing of conversion into gaseous vapors the oil of the environment.

An additional advantage of the arrangement is that one is able to extract oil from their own oil bearing shale as desired, with little or no maintenance expense and only the cost of boring the holes into the shale and undertaking "Ice the cost of the electric heating current with other minimal costs.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon full consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement in which the perforated pipe and the cooling elements are used for inserting the perforated pipe into oil bearing shale, and in which the oil is collected in storage tanks, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along one of the cooling units of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is across-sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1 showing the perforated holes and the heating units therein.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a series of perforated pipes 10, 10 having a cap 12 thereon, and having a series of vapor holes 14, 14 disposed about the perforated pipe. The perforated pipe may be four inches in diameter and the holes are 11 /z inch holes. Heating elements 18 connected to electrical conductors 20 provide for the heating and super-heating of the shale to produce gaseous vapors thereof which are drawn into the perforated pipe through the vapor holes, and thence into a connected solid aluminum pipe 24 around which is pro vided an iron jacket 26 shown in FIG. 1 and in part in FIG. 2.

Surrounding the cooling pipe 24 is a spirally configured copper tubing 30 through which a refrigerant gas or liquid is pumped from a pump 36 from a refrigerating means 38 to each of the cooling coils 30, 30* which then returns through a return pipe 40 to the refrigerating means.

By means of the cooling effect that is derived and imposed upon the cooling pipes 24, 24, oil is condensed and is then collected in pipe 44 which connects with a barrel or storage tank 46. The storage tank has a vent 48 at the top and an oil outlet valve 50 at the bottom.

In processing the gaseous vapors through the cooling unit, it is found that aluminum tubing of 3-5 feet in length disposed within a cooling jacket of iron or stainless steel and filled with insulating material such as glass fibers or the like and in which there is also disposed a spiral of coils of copper tubing around the cooling tube, achieves a maximum result in the practice of the invention. The cooling agent may be water or alcohol that passes from the refrigerator pump 36 to the return pipe 40 into the refrigerating means which may include a storage tank. Gaseous oil vapor condenses into usable oil at 40-50 F. Pumping of gaseous vapors through the cooling tube and the perforating tube is not necessary due to at least the reason that heavier-th-an-air gases will flow through the tube by natural gravitational forces, and condensation of vapors in the cooling tube induce a certain pressure to draw the vapors therein.

Additional embodiments of the invention in this specification will occur to others and therefore it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only by the appended claim and not by the embodiment described hereinabove. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claim in determining the full scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A device for extracting oil from oil bearing shale comprising a perforated pipe extending into oil bearing shale, a heating unit of heating coils electrically energized to heat the shale to cause gases to escape in through the perforated holes in the pipe and rise to the upper end thereof, an iron jacket of hollow solid pipe coupled about an aluminum cooling tube, said perforated pipe being coupled to the aluminum cooling tube, and a cooling copper coil extending spirally about the aluminum cooling tube Within the jacket, the cooled product formed in the cooling tube coupled or conducted through a pipe to storage tanks, the perforated pipe having a cap over its open end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,946,467 2/1934 Bergholm et a1 165l 11 2,030,334 2/1936 Still 202257 3,341,688 9/1967 Scott 16660 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner. CHARLES SUKALO, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

